Fashion and trends follow a few predictable patterns.  Whatever was big 20 years ago always seems to come back, albeit just a bit twisted and different.  There was a small 80s revival in the last decade, so we can reasonably expect a 90s revival this decade.  What makes that even more appealing is that the same cycle is going to be reinforced by social and economic trends that should produce a serious Grunge revival any day now.

Probably the last thing anyone wants to hear is fashion advice from someone as unhip / uncool as I am.  As unplugged-in as I am it’s impossible to catch a few things even before they become very popular, however, and I think this one will catch on.  It’s a question of where it comes from and how it plays out.

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Are you better off now than you were however-many years ago?  It’s a classic political slogan, first used by Ronald Reagan in 1980.  The answer then was a pretty solid “No”.  Take it out of the cycle of elections and into the business cycle that we find ourselves in, however, and the course of action is not as clear as a political strategist might like.

One quarter into 2011 it’s time for a check-in on the economic front.  The news we’re likely to hear in coming months is likely to shift focus once again, moving from joblessness to the quality of jobs that people have right now and their ability to make ends meet.  It’s not likely to be pretty.

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